'Israel is a Scientific Power'

Bar Ilan University takes part in the EU's annual Researchers’ Night, showcasing its science faculty to many interested Israelis.

Yoni Kempinski, 22/09/15 01:46

Researchers’ Night at Bar Ilan University

Yoni Kempinski

Arutz Sheva was on hand on Monday as Bar Ilan University hosted the annual Researchers’ Night, this year dealing with topics related to science of the brain.

The event, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space and the European Union, includes fun science-related activities for the entire family. It has been held in Europe since 2007.

Not only Bar Ilan University takes part: Researchers’ Night sees institutions and science museums around the country open their doors to the public and offer meetings with scientists, visits to labs, lectures, concerts, experiments, workshops and more.

The event is geared not for students, but “for people who don’t usually come to universities, and university researchers and professors demonstrate a whole range of experiments, of laboratories, of research activities. In a way we’re opening the university to the public, and we’re showing them what we’re doing every day,” explained Shlomo Shapira, Director of Bar Ilan University’s International Office.

“Over the past few years we’ve established strategic cooperation with a great number of European universities, within the framework of European Union projects,” he continued.

Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkowitz, the President of Bar Ilan, told Arutz Sheva that young people find it “cool” to see the experiments, but are also interested in science.

“They’re not just interested in seeing the wonders, the magic, but they ask questions, they try to understand, and in that sense you can see that it is not just for the attraction,” he said.

“Israel is a scientific power in any way you want to measure it, and you can see it here,” continued Hershkowitz. “You can see these youngsters who come here and ask, and many of them you’ll find 10 or 20 years from now at Bar Ilan or in science faculties of other universities.”